


A Changed Man

by Desparado



Category: The Witcher (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, M/M, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-28
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:53:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26156050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Desparado/pseuds/Desparado
Summary: Tumblr request: I had an idea for a jaskier x reader fic! Reader has been travelling with the group for some time and Geralt notices that Jaskier hasn’t been flirting or sleeping around for like a year and a half (same time when reader joined them) and the reader is shocked to find out he was a flirt and Geralt prompts reader to ask Jaskier about it and he confesses, reader confesses too! Love your writing!!
Relationships: Jaskier | Dandelion/Reader
Kudos: 28





	A Changed Man

Time flies when you’re having fun. You had experienced many an adventure with your new friends- saved villages, fought monsters, even protected the witcher from death itself- and now it was winter again. This time however, the heavy snowfall brought a smile to your face rather than fear; the anniversary of meeting Geralt and Jaskier can do that to a person.  
As snow blanketed the cobblestones, the sun made its low march across the sky, not that this could be seen behind the thick grey clouds that had stretched themselves above you. Despite the pleasant silence that came with the snowfall, it also brought a bitter chill, which had everyone retreating into the village tavern, where you could all expect to be entertained by one spirited bard.  
Song after song, Jaskier held his audience captive, offering tales of heroics and heartbreak, of joy and sorrow. The crowd laughed with him, sung with him and there were some who even cried, though you imagined they would claim it to be the cold that had them teary eyed. You were amongst the crowd that adored the bard as you clung to his every word, reciting each song perfectly with your heart as well as your tongue. Hearing these songs almost daily didn’t bore you like it did Geralt; no for you it was a privilege to hear the man’s beautiful voice, to be whisked away on his magic carpet as he told stories and shared secrets. Some of those secrets came in the form of wonderful ballads. Each word described the love and admiration he had for a mystery muse; of how he pined and longed for their touch, for their kiss. The romance of the songs, combined with sporadic meetings with the bard’s gaze, had you swooning and you continuously wished you were the treasure that he was singing about.  
An ale was slid into your view and you looked across the table to see Geralt giving you a small nod. You returned the gesture and raised the tankard before bringing it to your lips. The final notes of Jaskier’s last song played out and he was met with a thunderous applause; you joined in, whistling as well, while Geralt reluctantly offered a small clap. The bard bowed several times before moving away from his corner and walking over to your table, collecting coins on his way. Before he made it, he was stopped by a young woman- almost your opposite in all manners of appearance- and you felt a small flicker of pain in your heart. You watched as she fluttered her eyelashes and stood very close to him, her hands trailing his chest and coming up to his chin. The pain you felt became a strumming of your heartstrings, each pluck brought with it jealousy and a reminder that you didn’t look as wonderous as she did. But relief flooded your system as you saw the bard remove her hand from his face and smile politely at her, whispering something before stepping away, the woman’s offended look following him as he finally reached your table and sat next to you. “Well that was a riveting success, don’t you think?” He chirped as he pocketed his earnings.  
“Another rousing performance, Jask! You had them all hooked from beginning to end!” You replied, sliding one of the ales over to him. He glanced up at you and gave you a lopsided smile, eyes gazing at you for seemingly too long before he returned his attention to his drink. Geralt leaned forward on his forearms and stared at Jaskier, “What was wrong with her?” Both of you blinked at his question.  
“I’m sorry what?” The bard asked.  
“The woman. What was wrong with her?” Geralt was squinting at Jaskier now.  
“N-nothing?”  
“Then why did you turn her down? She seemed eager to thank you in her own way.” Geralt’s words made you cringe but you hid it behind your ale as you took another swig. Jaskier shuffled in his seat and cleared his throat before mumbling something about her being married and not his type anyway. “Well that never stopped you before.” Geralt scoffed.  
Your head shot up at this, “What do you mean, Geralt?”  
He frowned at you as he looked in your direction, “The man’s a natural born flirt, would woo any living creature if it meant a good night.” Jaskier choked on his drink as you continued to stare at Geralt, your open mouth curving into a smile, “What are you talking about? I’ve never seen him flirt in my life!”  
“Are you serious? Jaskier is a notorious flirt… well… at least he was. Come to think of it, I haven’t noticed you flirting or sleeping around since… last winter?” Jaskier refused to speak, still drowning himself in his ale as you continued to stare at the witcher dumbfoundedly.  
“I’m sorry Geralt but I have never heard such bullshit. Jaskier doesn’t flirt, he muses in his songs- not in real life.”  
“Oh y/n, you just haven’t seen it. It’s quite remarkable, if not a little disturbing. I once had to accompany him to a royal banquet he was performing at because he’d slept with the wife and daughter of every Lord in attendance!” The witcher was chuckling to himself at this point. Your heartstrings were being plucked again, more aggressively this time, as Geralt then proceeded to inform you of Jaskier’s previous antics. The level of promiscuity was astounding, considering you had never seen any of it in the entire time you had known these two. Sometimes Jaskier would make the odd comment to you, or you would both joke about something flirtatiously, but it was all very innocent and hardly to the level that Geralt was now explaining. Is this the real Jaskier? The strings of your heart were breaking to hear of the people Jaskier had ‘acquainted’ himself with. Jealously was a dangerous creature and it was beginning to lodge itself in your chest, heaving with every breath you took. Your heart pounded and you felt incredibly hot. Once the wave of sadness began to surface, you knew you needed to leave. “- And of course there was that brothel that you were ‘defending’ for about three… Y/n where are you going?” Geralt tilted his head in your direction as you abruptly stood up. Without looking at either of them, you told them you were going to bed before quickly heading to the door and walking out.

The cold air rushed to your face as you fought to hold back your tears. Once in your room you closed the door and fell on to your bed, allowing the sobs to flow freely when you knew it would be muffled. ‘This is ridiculous’ you were thinking to yourself, ‘why am I crying over this? He was never going to be mine.’ The realisations hit harder than you had expected and the sorrow of his ballads being nothing but a rouse to entice new lovers made you feel like a fool.  
After a while, there was a gentle tap at the door. You ignored it, refusing to pull your face away from the pillow. Then it came again followed by a soft calling of your name- it was Jaskier. You remained silent. Hearing steps, you believed he had walked away only to then hear the soft clicking of your door and it’s quiet creak upon opening. You cursed yourself for not locking it as you heard it close again followed by footsteps coming towards you. The bed dipped by your feet under Jaskier’s weight, you assumed he had sat down. His breathing was shallow and you could almost picture him picking at the hard skin on his fingertips. “Y/n… are you okay?” He sounded vulnerable as he spoke.  
“I’m tired.” You answered, your words muffled against the pillow.  
“Come on y/n, we’ve known each other for a year now, don’t insult me by lying to my face.”  
“It’s not to your face if I’m not looking.” You retorted, pulling yourself up into a seated position next to him. He chuckled softly, a sound that was like honey dripping into your ears, “That’s the y/n I know.” He cooed. Silence filled the room once again. Head bowed, you tried to hide your tears from him as you could see him leaning down slightly to look at you. “It’s what Geralt said, isn’t it?” He whispered. You didn’t answer for fear of exposing your feelings. He sharply exhaled and sat back upright. You saw him picking at his fingers and couldn’t help but smile slightly at how well you knew him. He took a breath, “I feel that I owe you an explanation regarding what he was talking about-”  
“You don’t owe me anything.” You muttered.  
“But I do. What he said was true, in the past I was a very… lustful man. I spent much of my time trying to bed as many women- or men- as possible; regardless of whether they were married or who to.” He paused as you saw him clench and unclench his fists, before finally gripping his knees tightly. “And I enjoyed it. I got off on the thrill of it and I believed that nothing would ever beat that feeling. Then Geralt and I found ourselves stranded in a blizzard and miraculously bumped into you.” You looked up at him, examining his face for deception but was only met with his kind eyes as they gazed at you. “I was in awe of you when we first met- your skills and knowledge were astonishing- then when I saw you smile at my joke about yetis and witchers-” He laughed slightly at the memory, as did you, “- It was like being touched by the gods.” Jaskier moved to kneel on the floor in front of you and placed his hand on yours. “Y/n I knew from that moment that you were everything I had been waiting for; and ever since I have endeavoured to be a better man, to be someone worthy of your affections.” A smile grew on your lips as you took in every word he said. Then you gave a small laugh, “Oh Jaskier, you had my affections long ago. I have been enamoured by you for a very long time and have spent many days and nights wishing I could be the treasure that you so passionately write about in your songs.” Before you could react, Jaskier leaned up and placed a small kiss on your lips. It lasted only a second, but it felt like a lifetime of everything you didn’t know you needed. “Y/n- you are the treasure in my songs- I was writing about you.” He whispered; his lips so close to yours it sent your heart into a beating frenzy. Your eyes met his as the lyrics to his songs whizzed around your head and suddenly you felt so overwhelmed by your confessions that you couldn’t hold back any longer. Placing your hands on the sides of his face, you pulled him towards you and kissed him deeply. Inhaling each other in, Jaskier stood up slightly and nudged you with his kiss so you were lying back on the bed before he then crawled over you, caging you in with his arms. His lips danced with yours, the smooth skin felt like silk against your mouth and it made you eager for more.  
As the kiss became more feverish, Jaskier gave you one last deep kiss before pulling away. Regaining your breath, you smiled at him as he stroked your cheek with his fingertips, “I don’t want to rush this. You’re not just a fling to me, you’re worth so much more.” Your smile grew wider at his words and you lifted your finger to trace the shape of his mouth. You didn’t respond- you didn’t need to- both knowing each other well enough to appreciate the silent intimacy of the moment, as the snow fell like confetti against the window.


End file.
